The mysterious case of the ‘missing’ Labour Party Fieldays tent

Thursday, 11 June 2026

MPs from ACT, NZ First and National have shared photos of an empty grass plot at Fieldays, saying that it was where Labour was meant to be. Stuff visited the site.

Chris Hipkins says the Labour Party decided last year not to set up a tent at Fieldays 2026.

Fieldays is an annual trade show for the agricultural and horticultural sectors, which draws up to 130,000 people - and a lot of politicians - to Mystery Creek near Hamilton.

Political parties have tended to buy a spot and set up a stall at Fieldays, to sell their policies to those attending the massive farming event. But this year, the Labour Party doesn’t have a stall - a fact that the coalition parties quickly publicised.

MPs from ACT, NZ First and National have shared photos of an empty grass plot, saying that it was where Labour was meant to be this year.

“This was supposed to be the Labour Party’s site at Fieldays,” said ACT leader David Seymour.

NZ First deputy leader Shane Jones at his Fieldays tent.

He criticised the tentless party on social media, writing: “First we couldn’t find their policies, now we can’t find them at all.”

Speaking to Stuff at the NZ First Fieldays stall, Shane Jones joked about how lucky Labour was to have a police officer, Superintendent Rakesh Naidoo, joining the party.

“Labour is vacant space. Labour was meant to create a tent. Obviously, people are searching for Labour’s missing tent. They now have an underemployed policeman to investigate what happened to the missing tent,” Jones said.

Hipkins denied Labour had forgotten its set up.

Speaking to Stuff from a field at Fieldays, Hipkins explained: “We never booked one for this year. We made the decision a year ago.”

Labour leader Chris Hipkins at Fieldays.

He said he didn’t see much point sitting in a tent at Fieldays when MPs could, instead, walk around and talk to people.

“So, rather than being over in the corner by ourselves, which seems to be where David Seymour is hanging out, we are actually out and about amongst the people, talking to people,” Hipkins said.

He said many of those at Fieldays weren’t Labour voters, but he wanted to talk to convince them that they could have a “constructive relationship” with Labour. He said he was promising “predictability” and no sudden changes if the Government changes.

Hipkins attended Fieldays on Thursday and said there was a large contingent of Labour MPs there on Wednesday as well.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon takes a selfie at Fieldays.

National leader Christopher Luxon attended Wednesday and Thursday.

He spoke at length about how well agriculture was performing and how he thought the industry could grow further.

“We want to grow even more, we want more ambition, more aspiration, much more growth as a result, because the world is rapidly moving into the middle class, that creates a huge opportunity for New Zealand,” he said.

Green co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick was also there, without a tent.

She said the Greens didn’t have enough money for a tent.

“We have had some really good yarns with people. It might surprise all of you to learn that the Greens and farmers actually have a lot in common. We care about each other and the planet that we live on,” she said.

Fieldays organisers declined to comment when Stuff asked if they had expected Labour to set up a stall.